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Google's Science Fair competition regularly leads to clever inventions from teens, and this year's event (the fifth ever) is giving junior pioneers an extra incentive to strive for a prize. On top of familiar rewards, including $100,000 in scholarships and trips to the Galapagos or Virgin Galactic's spaceport, there's a Community Impact Award that honors efforts tackling environmental or health issues -- kids who clean up the planet or save a life may get special recognition. Teachers will also get their due through a new Inspiring Educator award. Young creators have until May 18th to submit their finished projects to Google, and you'll hear about the winners at a finalist event starting on September 19th.

Are you one of the millions of people who bought Destiny? Do you like Lego? If you fit that fairly specific demographic, then the latest creation from master builder ZaziNombies might get you more excited than a Thrall on a day out from the Hellmouth. Okay, we might have gone a bit overboard there, but this full-scale replica of the Ice Breaker is seriously impressive. Inside the game, you'd normally obtain this auto-regenerating exotic special weapon as part of a reward, engram, chest haul or even buy it from old squid face (Xur) on one of his good days, but if one of your talents is putting together little plastic bricks (without a manual), then it takes more than 2,100 individual Lego pieces and a whole lot of time. As it turns out, this Lego Ice Breaker isn't the first Destiny weapon that YouTuber ZaziNombies has created, but at an impressive 42.5 inches in length, it's definitely his best.

We have no idea how Jurassic Worldis going to turn out come summer, but we do know that it's getting Lego-fied for Lego Jurassic World. The game follows all three Jurassic Park stories in addition to this June's blockbuster, and it'll be available for basically every platform you can think of. Short on imagination? Well then, here's a list: 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Phew. The dino-centric series has always had a bit of a mixed showing when it came to solid video game adaptations (the Sega Genesis movie tie-in and the Xbox's Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis were great, though), but the folks at Traveller's Tale have a pretty good track record with their Lego games.

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3dsavengersavengersageofultrongaminghdhdpostcrossJurassicParkjurassicworldLEGOlegoavengersageofultronlegojurassicworldps3ps4psvitaxboxXbox360XboxOneFri, 30 Jan 2015 03:02:00 -050021|21136934http://wow.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/we-want-this-amazing-wow-lego-lamp/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=WoW&ncid=rss_semi
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There are some talented WoW players out there, like Bangoo H who built this LEGO Infernal that not only looks spot-on for the original, it lights up. Building the body half from gray bricks and half from semi-transparent green bricks allowed Bangoo to wire the model up with LEDs to make it glow for the appropriate fiery appearance. Though most of this looks like it could be put together with fairly stock LEGO parts, the head is the challenge: Bangoo used a the head of the Crystal King from the 2009 Power Miners set, to which he added light-up eyes to complete the Infernal effect. However, the set is a bit hard to find and would probably be the snag in recreating this Infernal for yourself.

You can check out more pictures on Bangoo H's Korean-language blog or admire a full-sized image below the break where you can be dazzled by its light-up glory.

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infernallamplegolego-infernallego-infernal-lamplego-lampThu, 15 Jan 2015 18:00:00 -050099|21129940http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/15/recommended-reading-11-15-14/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/15/recommended-reading-11-15-14/http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/15/recommended-reading-11-15-14/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#commentsRecommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

New York City's latest subway station is a really big deal. Fulton Center recalls an age when public transit stations packed in architectural prowess, and this hub does just that. The main element is the so-called Sky Reflector Net that not only bathes the atrium in natural light, but also reflects that light two stories underground thanks to a cable structure suspended way up above.

There was plenty of fun stuff going on at Expand, but certainly one of the highlights was a competition put on by Lego. The toy giant challenged participants to create a machine that either saved or destroyed Manhattan. (Poor Manhattan is always in the crosshairs...) Six participants got up and demoed their creations, which ranged from remote controlled street sweepers, to soothing music-playing robots and a violent bot that smashed anyone or anything violating its personal space. Ultimately though, winners had to be selected (this is a competition after all).

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ExpandNYexpandny2014legomindstormsvideoSun, 09 Nov 2014 06:14:00 -050021|20990795http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/27/fully-crossplatform-lego-minifigures-online-is-coming-to-the-kin/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/27/fully-crossplatform-lego-minifigures-online-is-coming-to-the-kin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/27/fully-crossplatform-lego-minifigures-online-is-coming-to-the-kin/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsFuncom has today announced a partnership with Amazon that will put LEGO Minifigures Online on Amazon Fire TV as well as the Kindle Fire HDX line of tablets. Says the studio,

Working with Amazon on this project includes support for the Fire TV game controller as well as Amazon's store and payment systems. Fire TV is currently widely available in North America and Germany, and is launching in the United Kingdom in November 2014. LEGO Minifigures Online is scheduled to go live on Fire TV at the end of 2014.

Funcom will also be bringing LEGO Minifigures Online to the HDX line of Fire tablets. The game will be optimized for these devices and will fully support Amazon's store and payment systems for these devices. This version of LEGO Minifigures Online is set to go live at the end of Q1 2015.

Of note, Funcom promises that the family-friendly MMO will feature full cross-platform play across "Windows PC, Mac, iOS tablets, Android tablets, Fire TV and Fire tablets," making it one of the few MMOs playable on pretty much everything with the possible exception of your toaster.

Funcom press release
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amazonamazon-fire-tvfamilyfire-tvfuncomkid-friendlykidskindlekindle-firekindle-fire-hdkindle-fire-hdxlegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlinetrailertrailersvideovideosMon, 27 Oct 2014 15:00:00 -0400319|20984354http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/20/lego-minifigures-online-shows-off-the-space-world/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Space is big. Really big. You wouldn't believe how vastly, mind-bogglingly huge it is. I mean, you might think it's a long way from your bed to your computer, but that's just peanuts compared to space. So while labeling a single area in LEGO Minifigures Online as the "Space World" might seem like a bit of an oxymoron, just think of it as a sampling of the mind-boggling hugeness of what space has to offer. In this case, it's aliens and evil space marines.

A new video is now available showing off the Space World and everything that players can do therein: fighting off alien invaders, huge robots, strange wildlife, and flying saucers. Yes, it's all a bit silly and strange, but when you're marching into battle with a team consisting of a pirate, a DJ, a guy in a chicken suit, and a knight, you kind of expect to be thrown into strange scenarios. Check out the video just past the break.

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areaareasf2pfree-to-playfuncomlegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlinenewsnews-itemsspacespace-worldtrailertrailersvideovideoszonezonesMon, 20 Oct 2014 10:00:00 -0400319|20980952http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/03/lego-minifigures-online-sheds-the-beta-tag-with-full-toy-integra/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Good news, friends! The latest round of LEGO Minifigures is out on shelves now, so if you enjoy buying blindpacked figures and seeing what you get, you can get some more. And this newest series is fully integrated with LEGO Minifigures Online right from the start, so you can grab a new figure, put it together, and start playing with it online in the time it takes you to get back home and get playing. Isn't that fun?

The game has also shed its beta tag without ceremony, which makes sense as it had previously been hanging about in its open testing phase. If you've heard rumblings about the game but have yet to take a peek at it yourself, there's a new trailer just past the cut designed to show off what you can do in the game once you assemble some figures.

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familyfuncomkid-friendlykidslegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlinenewsnews-itemstrailertrailersvideovideosFri, 03 Oct 2014 14:00:00 -0400319|20971910http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/19/this-eve-lego-ship-will-rock-you-like-a-hurricane/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Imgur user Dinklebob has uploaded pics of his latest LEGO creation, an homage to EVE Online's Hurricane battlecruiser. The project is currently in-progress, according to Kotaku, and it even features a drone bay filled with cute widdle LEGO drones.

KotakuImgur
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ccpccp-gameseveeve-hurricaneeve-legoeve-onlineinternet-spaceshipslegolego-evesandboxsci-fispreadsheets-onlineFri, 19 Sep 2014 18:00:00 -0400319|20965103http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/the-stream-team-aiming-for-the-gods-in-lego-minifigures-online/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Though still in beta, LEGO Minifigures Onlinerecently introduced Mythology World, a LEGO land where Greek gods like Zeus and Hades strut their stuff (and possibly try to squish players). A big fan of mythology, Massively's MJ is eager to hop in and work her way into this new land, but her biggest challenge will be leveling enough to get there! Will she earn enough power to make it to the mythical land to face off against Minotaurs and maybe even Medusa? At least maybe she'll find the pieces to make a new minifigure. Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for the race to the gods.

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familyfuncomGreek-godskid-friendlykidslegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlinelivestreamlivestreaminglivestreamsmassively-metamassively-tvMJ-Guthrie-livestreammv-tvmvtvMythology-Worldstreamstream-teamstreamingstreamteamthe-stream-teamtwitchtwitch-tvupdateFri, 05 Sep 2014 15:00:00 -0400319|20957544http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/lego-minifigures-online-rolls-out-a-mythological-update/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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With a month or so to go before LEGO Minifigures Online fully launches, the game has brought forth its biggest update yet. So what does it contain? Nothing less than the new Mythology World, which also brings an increase in the level cap to 25 along with its new areas and monsters. The area also continues the main story if that's more of your thing.

Aside from the new area, the Series 11 minifigures have been added to the game, along with the first batch of cash shop figures that includes the Yeti, the Mountain Climber, and the Pretzel Girl. Players can also find their friends more easily with the addition of a friend code, and the loot system has been overhauled to allow players a chance to build minifigures from loot. Check out the full set of update notes for more detail and get building in the game if it's just what you've been waiting for.

Enjoy the Biggest Update Yet!
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areaareasbetabetascash-shopfamilyfiguresfriendfriend-codefriend-mechanicsfuncomkid-friendlykidslegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlineminifiguresnewsnews-itemsopen-betapatchpatchessocialupdateupdatesworldworldsTue, 02 Sep 2014 11:30:00 -0400319|20955483http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/funcoms-revenues-decrease-in-q2/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/funcoms-revenues-decrease-in-q2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/28/funcoms-revenues-decrease-in-q2/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsFuncom has released its second-quarter financial results for the year, and it's not a glowing success story. Revenue dropped roughly $600,000 compared to Q1, a drop attributed to weaker in-game item sales over the quarter. Despite this, the report indicates that the company remains on-track as a whole, with the overall pattern of expenses not significantly changed. All of the major MMOs in the studio's portfolio are stated to be cash-flow positive, which is good news for fans.

While the company launched several marketing attempts to draw more players into its titles, The Secret World was the most successful at bringing in more players via its most recent major update. The company projects good results for LEGO Minifigures Online when it releases in October. Interested players can look at the full report, which is less overwhelmingly positive than might be ideal but hardly paints a picture of doom.

Those old Lego Minecraft sets are cute, but the construction toy company's finally gearing up to release new ones that look much more like standard Lego sets -- and yes, they come with mini figures. Lego fans on the Eurobricks forum have recently spotted images of two of the six sets to be available later this year. Pictured above is The Farm, which features a standard player farm with Steve, a sheep, a skeleton, a jack-o-lantern-like brick and fake vegetables, because, well, it's a farm. The other one's called The Cave (see after the break) where Steve's equipped with a pickaxe, is buddies with a zombie and is scarily missing a hard hat despite that TNT brick looming behind him.

It certainly isn't the first robotic arm made out of Lego that we've seen, but this particular one can actually be worn and easily controlled by the user. According to its creator, Diavo Voltaggio, the arm was made using Lego Mindstorms EV3, which is a software-and-hardware kit for DIY robots. He says the machine is pretty straightforward: it has four buttons connected to four motors that control each finger. Pressing a button flexes the corresponding finger, while releasing it relaxes the finger, as well. Voltaggio calls this cyborg limb the Mark VI, as it's the sixth one he's built, thus far -- he disassembled the first five, so he could learn from them and make better models going forward. As a result, it's much sturdier than its predecessors, though it's also much heavier with all its braces and battery pack.

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brickfair2014LEGOroboticsTue, 12 Aug 2014 03:49:00 -040021|20945292http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07/28/first-impressions-lego-minifigures-online/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Besides being an avid gamer myself, I am raising three children who are also avid gamers. You might have seen past livestreams that I've done with my youngest son and my daughter. In fact, my son and I are going to stream with the Super Hero Squad Online crew here in the next few days. As a gaming dad, I keep my eyes out for games that lend themselves to being kid friendly and fun for adults, too.

When Free Realms shut down, my youngest, now 9 years old, was heartbroken. Although he didn't really do much questing, he loved the other activities in the game like kart racing and exploring the housing system. I have attempted to get him to jump into games like Wizard101 and Pirate101, whose combat systems were more complex than his liking. But he's a fan of combat in SHSO. He also plays Minecraft daily and has really adhered to the whole culture that surrounds it.

So when LEGO Minifigures Online opened its beta, I thought it would be an excellent combination of both SHSO combat and the building systems of Minecraft. I was wrong on one count but right on the other. My son loved the combat system, at least.

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betabeta-testbeta-testingchildrenfamilyfeaturedFirst-ImpressionsFuncomhands-onkid-friendlykidsLEGOlego-minifiguresLEGO-Minifigures-OnlineopinionpreviewpreviewstestingMon, 28 Jul 2014 16:00:00 -0400319|20937581http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/27/betawatch-june-21-27-2014/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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This week, sandbox hopeful Pathfinder Online kicked off a pay-to-play alpha for its Kickstarter donors and folks who bought access through the game's website. What else is new in the world of MMO betas?

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alphaalphasarcheagebetabeta-testbeta-testingbetasbetawatchbrianna-royce-betawatchclosed-betadestinyeliteelite-dangerousgame-testinglaunchlauncheslegion-of-heroeslegolego-minifigures-onlinemassively-metaopen-betapathfinder-onlineroundupswordsmanswordsman-onlinetestingwarlords-of-draenorworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 27 Jun 2014 20:00:00 -0400319|20920179http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/25/lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-now-available-progress-to-car/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/25/lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-now-available-progress-to-car/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/25/lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-now-available-progress-to-car/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsFuncom wants you to know that it has officially kicked off the open beta for LEGO Minifigures Online. The game's proper launch is still scheduled for Fall 2014, but as of now you can download the free-to-play beta client and have at it!

Current locations include Pirate World, Medieval World, and Space World, and the firm is "hard at work finishing up more great content," according to the news blurb on its web site.

Player progress and cash shop purchases will carry over from open beta to launch.

Today, we take a deeper look at Amazon Firefly, learn about T-Mobile Test Drive, review the ASUS Padfone X and investigate the biggest third-party games from this year's E3 event. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.

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asus padfone xbill nyee3engadget dailyfire phonegameslegotdrtmobiletmobile test driveThu, 19 Jun 2014 22:22:00 -040021|20916065http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/the-stream-team-leaping-into-lego-minifigures-onlines-open-be/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Massively's MJ is beyond excited to delve into the wonderful world of LEGOs in the new LEGO Minifigures Online. That's right, she gets to live out her LEGO fantasies as an adorable little figurine who is out for adventure. The hardest part may be choosing what to play: Will she be a Librarian, a Mermaid, a Trendsetter, or a Forest Maiden? Perhaps she'll bust out of her female mold and be a Skydiver, a Cyclops, or even a Grandpa. Join us live at 7:00 p.m. for a look at all the choices and MJ's first moments in the game's newly opened beta.

We typically think of Intel as a hardware company, a chip-making giant that helps build wearables, cable-free laptops, smart baby onesies. Today, though, the company is showing off software for a change. The chip maker just unveiled Pocket Avatars, a mobile messaging app that lets you send video messages to friends. Actually, "video messages" doesn't really describe it. These aren't so much videos as 3D avatars that happen to speak in your voice. In particular, the app makes use of facial recognition -- a pet project of Intel's -- to mimic gestures like nodding, blinking, sticking out your tongue, and raising your eyebrows. A future version, said to be coming soon, will support more nuanced facial expressions, along with neck and shoulder movements. All told, this is a lot of real-time processing, which means the messages are going to be brief: You've got 15 seconds to say what you want to say.

If your child is constantly glued to a tablet swiping away at birds or fruit, you're probably wistfully wishing for the days when kids liked playing with actual toys. Well, Lego just might have the perfect solution for you and your offspring. Today, the maker of the beloved construction bricks announced Lego Fusion, a system that combines the flexibility and fun of app-based games with the good ol' fashioned activity of creative Lego building.%Gallery-slideshow202316%

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hands-onlegotoysThu, 19 Jun 2014 06:00:00 -040021|20915557http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/assemble-to-try-the-lego-minifigures-online-open-beta/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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If you miss being able to play with LEGO bricks in an online environment, you'll be happy to know that LEGO Minifigures Online has just entered open beta. The last time a LEGO-themed game came out, it didn't turn out so well, but the new game is a very different experience, allowing players to take control of the many LEGO minifigures currently available to adventure in a variety of LEGO-themed environs.

Currently, the beta test is available only for Windows computers in English, with other localizations and a tablet client slated for release during the test process. Open beta will also see the refinement of game mechanics and the free-to-play business model, so nothing that's in the game right now is set in stone. If you've been feeling the loss of brick-based gameplay, now might be the time to jump in and start playing for yourself.

Announcement
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familyfuncomkid-friendlykidslegolego-minifigureslego-minifigures-onlinelego-minifigures-online-videolego-videotrailertrailersvideovideosTue, 27 May 2014 13:00:00 -0400319|20893336http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/funcoms-lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-coming-in-june/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/funcoms-lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-coming-in-june/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/funcoms-lego-minifigures-online-open-beta-coming-in-june/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsFuncom'sLEGO Minifigures Online has been in closed beta for several months, but now the company says its free-to-play PC, iOS, and Android title will go into open beta this June.

"This is an invaluable opportunity to collect feedback directly from players," says executive producer Lawrence Poe. "We'll be using that feedback over the summer to help us focus our efforts where they are most needed and deliver the best possible experience when we launch in the fall."